In the 63rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Council (Joint Consultative Mechanism), many important issues related to central government employees were discussed, which included the payment of 18 months of DA / DR arrears withheld during Kovid.
DA Arrears: Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) were stopped due to the poor economic condition during the Covid pandemic. For a long time, central government employees have been demanding restoration of 18 months’ arrears. Once again these employees are pressurizing the government to release their pending arrears.
Demand for payment of DA arrears
In the 63rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Council (Joint Consultative Mechanism), many important issues related to central government employees were discussed, including the payment of 18 months’ DA / DR arrears stopped during Covid. In this meeting, the employee side was led by senior leaders like Shivgopal Mishra and M. Raghavaiya. The employee side strongly reiterated its old demand on DA arrears.
In the meeting, the employee side once again clearly stated that the DA / DR amount for 18 months between March 2020 and June 2021, which was stopped due to the pandemic at that time, should be returned to the employees. They argued that both employees and pensioners are entitled to this relief, as they worked with their full service spirit during that difficult time, even though there was a lockdown in the country.
What is the government’s stand on DA arrears of 18 months
However, the Finance Ministry has reiterated its old statement on this matter, saying that the economic situation had worsened due to the Kovid-19 epidemic, and the burden of the government’s welfare schemes was felt even after the financial year 2020-21. In such a situation, it is not possible to pay DA / DR arrears.
8th Pay Commission was also discussed
In this meeting, the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission and its reference terms were also discussed. The employee side requested that the government appoint the chairman and members of the commission as soon as possible and issue ToR (Terms of Reference). The government said that the notification has been issued to appoint some members, and the rest of the process is going on. Central employees hope that the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission will be implemented from January 1, 2026 and if there is a delay in it, then it should be paid with arrears.
Employee Insurance Scheme proposal was also presented
Another big issue in the meeting was Central Government Employee Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS). The Department of Expenditure said that they have prepared a new proposal regarding this insurance scheme and it will be shared with the employee side soon.
